Walk Upon a Time: An Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike

by Leslie Fletcher

Join Leslie on her journey as she embarks on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,200-mile trek through some of the most beautiful and challenging terrain on the East Coast. Armed with a backpack and a sense of humor, Leslie takes on the trail with gusto - and a healthy appreciation for the power of duct tape.

As she encounters wildlife, wild weather, and even wilder fellow hikers, Leslie shares her witty observations and quirky insights with a refreshing honesty that will leave you laughing out loud. From the joys of trail magic to the perils of the privy, no detail is too small for Leslie to turn into a heartwarming story.

But don't be fooled - thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail isn't all laughs and giggles. Along the way, Leslie confronts her own fears and limitations, discovers the true meaning of perseverance, and finds unexpected friendships in the unlikeliest of places.

Part memoir, part travelogue, and all-around hilarious, Walk Upon A Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a must-read for anyone who loves a good adventure (or a good laugh). So grab your hiking boots, pack your sense of humor, and join Leslie on a journey you won't soon forget.

159 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 23, 2023

Reviews

[Carlton Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms Flecher's account of her hike of the entire Appalachian Trail was well written.
She described the ups and downs of hiking alone and meeting other hikers with whom she could share the experience.
Her description of camping sites and the hostels she stayed at were good.
Her descriptions of the views along the trail and watching sunsets from the top of the mountains made me yearn to get in the woods myself.
My shortcomings in the book were that she didn't meet anyone she was afraid of. She hiked through all the states and towns, and luckily, she had no issues. Not that I wanted her to have any problems, but I have read several books about through hikes, and it seemed that everyone had at least one issue with an undesirable person.
She paints the hike as a fun walk through the woods with a few long hills, some rocky parts that require climbing, and some rain.
She makes the hike sound mostly fun with some tough times. She was not giving a more realistic account of the hike, how she trained for it, or the tough mental times that could have hindered a hiker.
She gives the impression that she will also hike other long trails so more books can follow.

[Wysteria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story but was confused about some of the people she met and where everyone ended up. What happened to Slam?

[Linda Spyhalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the age of 77 my dream of walking The Appalachian Trail is long gone but I find great joy in reading the stories of those who have successfully accomplished it. A few years ago my son took me on a trip to the Smoky Mountains and we actually drove to the Trail and we walked a very short way on it! One of my greatest memories of that beautiful area! A big thank you to Leslie Fletcher for sharing her experience and writing a good book!

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this since Rhonda and I watched a movie about hiking the trail. Just wondering if I might try hiking a section or two of the trail... The West Virginia part is very short so might a be a good one to "section hike" and get it behind me first. :) I have been following this author's progress with a map and am finding it interesting just doing that. I'm too old to hike any real distance especially going up and down long steep grades so will stick to easy short and flat hikes and reading about other people's 30 to 40 mile per day hikes up and down mountains. It was fun following the author's progress and encounters with both other hikers and "trail angels" that help hikers along the way. If you are thinking of do the 2000+ mile Appalachian Trail hike do it when you are young!

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nowhere near as funny as I thought it was going to be, but enjoyable all the same. She hits about the right amount of detail in her daily updates, which read like a trail journal. In fact, this could have been copied directly from a trail journal.

I'd hoped for a tiny bit more detailed description of the sights she saw, and I really hoped for more of what was going on in her head. There was some, maybe enough, but it seemed like too many of the entries were simply the where and the how of the journey with only a brief mention of how it felt. But it struck an okay balance; I wasn't all that disappointed.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several AT thru-hike memoirs, and they all have been different. This was a delightful account, even if the Katahdin summit was lacking in description. Also, wish the author had explained how she got her trail name and what it meant, along with what prompted her to hike. Many typos. The overuse of the exclamation mark was a bit annoying.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible journey!

I loved this book. Though I've never been on a "thru hike" I love hiking and this book captured the reality of the hardship and joy of thru hiking. What an adventure.

[Janna Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, this one was okay, but it definitely didn’t “leave [me] laughing out loud,” like the blurb on the back promised. I was expecting something more with the writing, I guess. It was an interesting look at life on the trail as a thru-hiker, but the writing style was very meh.

[Linda Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, but there really wasn't much to it. I didn't find it nearly as humorous as the blurbs suggested it would be.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a journal.

It was entertaining, and I did learn a few tricks of the trail. But, it was a journal, lacking in descriptive words and emotional depth of the experience.

[jesse dwight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along for the fun

This was a delightful read . Sharing in the daily experiences and sharing very descriptive words and feelings. Thanks for sharing your adventures.

[BRIAN ROBERTS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually a nice read I really enjoyed the way it was written. Basically following her journal.

[Lori Rushin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading about this adventure! Decided I would love to be a trail angel.

[Richard Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

epic journey

i wished for more details on parts of her trip. REALLY would have liked more. info on her summit! after such an epic journey the ending was disappointing.